2) So it's the first thing to hit your lips and coat your mouth with its delicious rumminess.

3) Get out of the habit of measuring. Use what looks right and learn by experimentation and experience. It's very much like cooking. Notice how grandma hardly ever uses measuring spoons? Get to be like that.

4) Try cheap booze. Remember, cocktails were invented to mask the flavor of lousy booze, so in an awful lot of cocktails the delicate flavors of expensive booze are almost lost in the mixing of ingredients. For something simple like a Martini, where there are only two ingredients, well the quality of the source booze is paramount. But in a Cosmopolitan, where there are four ingredients, I've found it's possible to mix a Cosmo with cheap supermarket-type booze and come up with something that's quite as good as any $25 Cosmo I've had in Manhattan made with Grey Goose. Honest.

I would recommend you buy the paperback "Bartender's Bible," and not only for the recipes. The opening chapters discuss bar setup, what to stock for what kinds of bars, basic equipment to purchase, etc. Plus informative chapters on the interesting histories and qualities of the various types of booze.
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NEVER use cheap booze, purchase the best quality you can afford. Cheap booze will give you a hangover, and try to avoid flavoured rums, and bacardi rums. But bacardi 151 is ok.
_________________Great Minds Drink Alike

On 2006-08-30 18:47, Davez_tikiz wrote:So I got the mixology bug, bought the Tiki Drinks book, bought like a million dollars of liquor (my god it cost $$ to stock a bar!!!!), and started mixing. I have some questions...

Welcome to the wonderful world 'behind' the bar! There is nothing quite like the drink you make on your own.....

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1) Is "sour mix" the same as sweet and sour mix?

Yes, and if you make your own you will be much happier with it compared to anything in a bottle.

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2) Why does 151 seem to always get floated?

Because if you made a drink with nothing but 151 you would be a fire hazard. The "Slightly Scientific" answer to your question is that as the ice melts your drink dilutes. If you float a shot of 151 on top, you are adding a very high proof alcohol on the 'top' of the drink to keep the alcohol level up as you introduce water to the mix. You will notice that most drinks with a 151 float are served with straws.

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3) How do you measure crushed ice? I have cubes that go in the blender.... ????

The specific answer is to get a whole bunch of ice and start blending. Count/measure the number of cubes that go in to fill you basic serving vessels. Then, when you are mixing into a cocktail glass you have an idea of how much ice to use.

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4) Why does alcohol cost so much!!!!!!

Because anything worth doing is worth doing well. This is doubly true behind the bar. When you go out to a bar, you are in a business and their are business concerns governing the drinks you are served. When you are in your own home-bar, the only consideration is what you like. And, if you are like me, you will only settle for premium and top-shelf ingredients. A little example for demonstration....

Beachbum Berry has a recipe for a $100 Mai-Tai. The ingredients to make the drink will set you back about a C-note (ish). Well, if you mix according to plan you will actually get 20 drinks out of the deal making your cost per cocktail an easy $5 which is considerably better than what you are going to find at your local watering hole. And, it is a top-shelf cocktail with nothing but the finest ingredients! Well..... you get the idea.

This is just the first step into a larger world of liver abuse and a never ending hunt for the next exotic flavor to go with that great bottle you found on the forgotten bottom shelf of your local liquor store.

Floats are there to evaporate a bit and give a scent to a drink. 151 floats are there to allow you to not drink them. You can if you want, of course. Think of it as a garnish.

Ice is not required to be measured at all. As long as the drink fills the glass when you are done, you are fine. You'll know how much after just a few drinks have been mixed. Worrying about how much ice in a shaker is like worrying how much wood is in the fire to cook on. It makes the no real difference outside common sense.

I personally don't care for floaters. I prefer a drink that is even and smooth all the way to the last drop. I'm not too keen on the ZAP! you get at the end of a drink from a 151 floater.

Oh, and use fresh squeezed juices ALWAYS! This applies to lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit. For pineapple, buy the little cans. And if you can get them, use key limes instead of persian limes. Key limes are what the rest of the world just calls limes. They're smaller and more time consuming to get as much juice, but well worth the effort because the taste is superior. But since they are more tart, you might want to cut back a little on how much you use. For instance, 3/4oz if the recipe calls for 1oz.

And as far as cheap booze goes, some of it is quite good (Coruba, Cruzan). Just depends. Read up all you can here on Tiki Central and you'll find lots of good tips on good brands, expensive or otherwise.

On 2006-08-31 09:52, GatorRob wrote:And if you can get them, use key limes instead of persian limes. Key limes are what the rest of the world just calls limes. They're smaller and more time consuming to get as much juice, but well worth the effort because the taste is superior.

Yikes, we sure don't call them regular limes up here! Key limes are tiny and time consuming and have a totally different flavour. Plus due to their thin, often tarnished skin they make for lousy garnish. But I do suggest trying them if you can get them! To me they're only available in bags of 20 or so, therefore I only use them when I have a special recipe in mind. Regular limes are big and juicy and 4 fer $1.

Do you really think the flavour is superior? I think a comparison is in order.
to the research lab!

On 2006-08-31 09:52, GatorRob wrote:I personally don't care for floaters. I prefer a drink that is even and smooth all the way to the last drop. I'm not too keen on the ZAP! you get at the end of a drink from a 151 floater.

You're right. If you gulp your drink down too fast that floater will be a shock. Either slow down or use your swizzle stick. Personally I would never turn down the float, just know how to use it.